Alaina Leverenz, PhD

Alaina Leverenz (PhD, 2023, University of Missouri) is an Assistant Professor of Marketing at Columbia College of Missouri. She teaches digital marketing, public relations, consumer behavior and business communication in the Robert W. Plaster School of Business. 

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Dr. Leverenz has 10 years of experience in marketing and communications, including her most recent position as the Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at Heart of Missouri United Way in Columbia, Missouri. She has led marketing departments primarily in nonprofit and higher education industries and also serves as a marketing consultant. 

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She earned her PhD in Communication from the University of Missouri and her Master of Art degree in Applied Communication from IU Indianapolis (formerly IUPUI). She has Bachelor of Science degrees in Communication and Graphic Design from William Woods University.

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Alaina has published in four peer-reviewed journals, two of which are ISI-ranked. These include a first-author publication in ISI-ranked Qualitative Health Research, one in ISI-ranked Health Communication, one in the family communication discipline’s flagship journal (Journal of Family Communication), and a first-author, interdisciplinary piece in Narrative Inquiry. 

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Dr. Leverrenz has presented her research 18 various panels in the Interpersonal, Family, and Health Divisions at the National Communication Association (NCA) Conventions, Central States Communication Association (CSCA) Annual Conferences, International Communication Association (ICA) Conferences, and the Kentucky Health Communication Conference (KCHC). She has received Top Paper awards in the Family Communication Division of NCA and the Interpersonal and Family Interest Group at CSCA. She has also served as a conference submission reviewer for NCA in Applied Communication.